2017-27
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| many farms in this area of Virginia are being let go and mini-mansions are taking their place |
Lewisburg West Virginia (3rd
week continued)
Abingdon Virginia
Sevierville Tennessee
Campground: Washington County park.
$22 per night, four nights, utility chg $7.60, Tax $4.40: total $100.
Full hookups, 30 amp. 20 OTA tv stations. Good Verizon signal.
Note: $145 a month for out of state residence plus electric, an
awesome deal if space is available.
Campground: Douglas Dam, TN. $18 with
senior discount. TVA campsite. Near Pigeon Forge/ Dollywood. Nice
sites, all site are now reservable, though I was able to get a few
days by calling the day before arriving. 30 amp electric/ water.
Many sites are not level. Of course I've stayed here a few times
previously with Douglas in the name how could I not.
It wasn't planned, things happen, and
it becomes a waiting game. We've all had it happen to us before.
Expecting things to be accomplished on time, then we wait until they
actually are able to be done. This all relates to the installation
of the errant awning which did finally arrive. In the back of my
mind, I expected it to arrive damaged. It did arrived damaged and of
course never got installed.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying this
almost hidden gem of a community, surrounded by the old, weathered
forested Appalachian mountains. I'm able to complete some chores I
would have done once I got back to Florida. I got up on the roof and
washed the white PVC roofing back to it's gleaming white state, which
had gotten quite dirty over the summer months. I even washed and
detailed the 2007 Chevy truck and it's looking mighty nice as well.
With 170,000 traveling miles on it, it's still running like a charm.
A couple of my good friends have recently purchased new trucks, and I
must admit, it is a tempting thought.
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| North House Museum |
In town I went to the North House Museum run by the Greenbrier Historical Society. Upon entering, I asked for the “professional tour” and was pleasantly surprised to get just that. Learning about the history of a place can make quite a difference in how one perceives a particular region of the Country. Lewisburg West Virginia has a unique place in history, in that it is close to the Virginia boarder, which it was once a part of. Having been split off into a separate state, it became a freed slave state while Virginia remained a slave holding state. The people in Lewisburg still related to the Virginia side and during the Civil war continued to support the Confederate Army with supplies. The U.S. Government, knowing what a ticklish situation they were in, decided to let the towns people continue to supply the Confederate Army, but taxed all of the goods going to the rebel army. That being said, Lewisburg was supporting both sides of the civil war without having to have their townsfolk imprisoned for aiding the Confederate Army. Or having their town burned to the ground.
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| dioramas made by a local merchants wife and displayed in the shops windows |
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| a wild party... each person was modeled after someone in town |
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| original carpet bags.... I was called a carpet bagger when I first moved to Florida. There's a story behind everything |
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| a diorama of the store |
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| the top quilt, all beautiful, is almost 200 years old, recently discovered locally |
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| original detail in the county clerks historical home/tour |
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| the carriage room is now all glassed in |
A statue commemorated the soldiers who fought to keep slaves stands across from the North House Museum. No statue celebrates the Union soldier fighting to free the slaves.
A fascinating story about a ghost who
provided evidence in the murder case of a wife was also told. It's
the only case in the country and perhaps the world where a ghosts
evidence was admitted in court and helped to convict the dastardly
deed performed by the husband.
The Greenbrier Ghost
Elva Zona Heaster-Shue, a local woman
was found dead back in January of 1897. The coroner listed the cause
of death as “The everlasting faint”... later changed to child
birth. Elva knew differently and her ghost visited her mother four
nights in a row telling her mother that she had been strangled to
death by her husband in a fit of rage.
Elva's mother was able to convince the
courts to exhume her daughter and they discovered that she had been
savagely strangled to death even finding her neck was broken. Edward
was convicted on the testimony of Elva's ghost and the finding
thereafter. You can check out this link for the full story.
Another interesting thing I've found in
this area are the numerous log cabins scattered around town and
throughout the region. Many dating back to the 1800's and are
currently being lived in. How charming to see an area where the old
is not torn down, but fixed up and continues to be used to this day.
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| many cabins throughout town were built in the late 1700's and early 1800's |
With my having to stay a few extra
days, I'm able to be here for the big Flea Markets held here at the
Fairgrounds twice a year. Lots of vendors and perfect fall weather
to enjoy the couple of days of browsing all those bargains. A short
walk through the tunnel under the main road to the other side of the
fairgrounds and I'm right in the midst of all those bargains.
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| a retired art teacher, has to keep creating art |
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| it's that time of year |
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| Do my sisters, Ann and Dorothy remember the story about the buttons? |
Distance Traveled: 181 miles
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| photo from internet, I did not take this photo Glade Creek Gorge Bridge |
What an exciting mornings journey, back
on the road with camper in tow. I've taken hwy 64 heading west
though the Appalachian Mountains though it may just be the western
edge but either way, they are spectacular to look at and crossing the
very high Glade Creek gorge bridge was totally awesome. I had barely
a chance to look over and then down to the bottom of the gorge which
appeared to be thousands of feet below. Actually 700 feet high and
784 feet long. After turning south onto hwy 77 turnpike (a toll
road) more spectacular scenery as I climbed to a height of 3,500 feet
before descending a couple long stretches of 7% grades, two long
mountain tunnels as I crossed into Virginia and the actual
Appalachian mountains. The trees are starting to turn fall colors
but I don't think this area gets the spectacular bright colors one
gets up in Northern Michigan or the New England States. They appear
to be more muted tending to bland shades of dull oranges, browns and
tans with the occasional bright yellow or orange and a rare red
leafed tree.
I've arrived at the Washington County
Park which sits on TVA land bordering Virginia and Tennessee. The
lake/dam waters are very low, but as this is just a stop over, it's
of no concern. The county park appears to be set up for seasonal
campsites, with lots of rv's that appear to remain here all summer
long.
Lake is low after being lowered this
spring due to work being down down river on the Boone dam/lake. Will
take 5 or 6 years to complete upgrades.
Pick up meds at Walgreens.
Pick up mail, delivered to campground
Carb Lunch day: Pizza Inn (senior day,
salad and pizza bar, what a deal)
The town of Abingdon Virginia has an
historical Theater called the Barter Theater. It was opened in 1933
during the Great Depression. The concept was that local farmers
could purchase theater tickets by paying with excess food from their
farms including chickens and other livestock. In 1946 it was
designated the State Theater of Virginia. Those early years were
very successful, filling a need for entertainment and in the process
feeding many starving artists including Gregory Peck, Patricia Neal,
and Ernest Borgnine and many others.
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| The Barter Theatre |
The theatre is very active today, with a second smaller intimate theatre across the street. I'd love to go to one of their productions while here, unfortunately the nine mile drive into town is along a very narrow country road with numerous curves and drop offs. Not to mention the complete lack of shoulders... my truck and camper took up the entire width of the narrow lane leaving no room for error.
Distance Traveled: 110 miles
Highway 81 was an easy drive, though
for some folks it might seem a bit slow. Truck speed was at 55 mph
for a good portion of the highway and I stayed behind the trucks not
being in any particular hurry.
Later I went up to my usual 65 mph as
the speed limit was bumped up to 70 mph. Scenery was unimpressive,
lots of scruffy looking cedar trees mixed with bare limbed trees.
I'm planning on only staying at each
location for about 4 days, to speed up my traveling time to Florida.
This stop, since I've been in the area before includes a few more
on-the-road maintenance items.
Ordered new Mitchelin tires with
70,000 mile warranty. Should be installed by tomorrow.
- Back to Walgreen's to get my Flu shot.
More photos:
